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MTV’s newest reality TV show, Scrubbing In, follows a group of young travel nurses assigned to work at a hospital in Orange County, CA for 12 weeks. The nurses have left behind their family, friends, and their life for a chance to work at a different hospital, gain exciting new experiences, and explore an unknown city.

We caught up with one of the stars of the show, Fernando, a Mexican-American nurse from El Paso, Texas who was looking for a change from his previous nursing jobs. Read the full interview below:

Tell us about the show!

The overall experience was definitely one that I’ll remember forever! I’ve done travel nursing before, but I’ve never experienced anything like this. On my end, it was exciting because I knew what to expect as far as traveling and I know the routine, but it was interesting to go through the process again with someone who wanted to experience the time with me.

How long have you been a nurse?

A little over five and half years.

Have you been a traveling nurse that entire time?

No, I’ve been doing traveling nursing for about three years. In the beginning, I would only travel in the summers. The OC was my first assignment in California. I’ve been all over–to Austin, Albuquerque, and New Haven, Connecticut.

Since you’d done travel nursing before, did you find yourself acting as a mentor to the other nurses?

Yes. If anything, it was easier for me though. The girls and Adrian had never travelled before. They didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t know what it’s like in the hospital. How do they treat travelers? What are some of the things that we don’t know that we need to know? I was able to help them with that. A lot of it came down to attitude: we are not there to think that we’re above anyone else. They need our help. I am here because they need me, and I genuinely want to help out and learn different hospital systems.